LETTER: My countrymen, as I sit and discuss with friends and colleagues, I fear for our future. Preoccupied by political sideshows. Enmeshed in pettiness. As if not knowing what we want.
Daily we are reminded of the thousands of new Covid patients. Daily we hear worrying stories of overloaded hospitals and facilities. We suffer health wise and so too our economy.
Though we avoid the pain of a total closure as in the first MCO, we see less people at the malls. Stalls sprouting like mushrooms. We see shops without customers. Empty hotels. People losing jobs and means to support their family.
Schools unable to be fully opened. Regular classes unable to be conducted. Exams and assessments unable to be properly undertaken. We would have a generation of our children being deprived of an effective education during this time.
For how long more can we and our country endure continuing like this? We need to be clear of what we want. We want our country to be back on its feet by mid year. We want to see our country to be practically fully opened by mid year, vaccinated and for Covid to be curbed long before that, to be able to move freely to travel interstate and overseas, to receive tourists and do business away and from the country.
In six months time, we want to see our economy on the mend. With more business and employment opportunities. With hotels and tourists spots beginning to be visited. With malls being filled and cinemas being full. With events, conferences, weddings and even tahlils being carried out. With every mosque able to be opened without restriction for Friday and jemaah prayers.
And in six months time, we want to see our children would be in school with regular classes and extracurricular activities without parents being worried of infections. Our playgrounds be filled with children's laughter, no longer confined to the four walls of their homes.
We want our country be opened and back on its feet. In order to achieve this, we want the government to do the utmost to procure the vaccine and implement it effectively. Pay if they must to secure the vaccine. Incur what they have to ensure a quick distribution and implementation of the vaccine.
Expedite the procedure of approval without compromising our health as much as they can as seen in other developed countries. Make the SOP stricter if they need to curb the covid further. This is our utmost priority for the next six months.
No other priorities should come close to this. Not politics. Not the Emergency. Not democratic idealism. We want the government to undertake this with full resolve. And for this we will fully support the government's action.
Irrespective of our political affiliation, we want this to happen and will ensure it happens. Because the alternative is worse. The additional billions that the government spends to achieve this is nothing to the loss of tens or hundreds of billions if they fail to do this.
So, let's stop bickering. Let's unite and demand together that we want our country to be back on its feet in six months time. Don't waste time in trivialities and then expect all to be well. It's still in our hands to make a difference.
LUKMAN S. ALIAS
Advocate & Solicitors
Zulrafique & partners